| This dissertation is a report of two hypothesis-generating qualitative case studies that investigated the factors that affected the successful school-wide implementation of the Developmental Approaches in Science, Health and Technology program, a spiraling, integrated, hands-on program for grades Kindergarten to 6 at two public elementary schools on the island of Oahu, in the state of Hawaii. Four key people were interviewed, 47 classrooms were observed three times each, and 41 of 48 teacher surveys were completed. An author-generated flow-of-influences conceptual framework based on other research findings about variables influencing the implementation of a curricular innovation delineates curricular, organizational, and external variables along with possible teacher-perceived outcomes. The results include 42 tables and 44 figures showing the many factors' positive and negative impacts on the schools' reform efforts. Eighteen hypotheses were generated. Well-planned implementations, strong administrative support and leadership, sustained follow-up support, and frequent collegial planning and sharing times seemed to have the greatest positive influences upon teacher confidence regarding program knowledge and sustained program use. More tenured teachers were using the program at levels equal to or greater than newer teachers until around twenty years of teaching experience, when there was a marked decline in program use. |
